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The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

I recently brought home an eight week old Netherland dwarf. I've had him for a week now and I worry he's not getting enough exercise. He's allowed to roam my bedroom and I've laid down a rug to give him traction when he decides to do the Bunny 500, which he does plenty early in the morning and in the evening. Sometimes I take him out to climb stairs, but that's it. How do I know if he's getting enough exercise?

Sarita(Dallas)

Forum Leader

18813 posts

11/14/2012 1:00 PM

I would not worry too much about enough exercise at this age. He is still young and will have spurts of energy and long rest periods. Early in the morning and evening are rabbit's most active times too.

peppypooTexas

Forum Leader

1953 posts

11/14/2012 4:15 PM

As long as he is able to run around and isn't restricted, I wouldn't worry too much. If he's getting a little tubby then it might be good to encourage him to exercise a little more, but as Sarita said I wouldn't worry about it at this age .

Tammo (RIP), Milo (RIP), Peppy, Remi

HotGinRun

36 posts

11/14/2012 7:26 PM

Thanks for your input guys! I'm just a paranoid bun mom and every little shake or scratch is something that I start fussing over. Now my heaving mother's heart is at ease.

tanlover14

3591 posts

11/15/2012 7:04 AM

Awww, this is a cute question! I know what you mean, I'm always worrying too! My three little brats are always full of energy, you can borrow one of them for a day! You'll be happy your little man isn't so active after spending a day with mine!

ElrohwenHudson Valley, NY

Forum Leader

7322 posts

11/15/2012 8:41 AM

I agree with Peppy that as long as he's free to run around as he wishes, I wouldn't worry about it. All rabbits will have different energy levels, so leave it up to him to decide how much exercise he wants - some are hyper and some would rather lounge around.

- Elrohwen

LoveChaChaRabbit Warren

6655 posts

11/16/2012 10:47 AM

When you establish a rabbit savvy vet, you should take him in for a routine exam! My vet always checks the muscle tone of my rabbit's limbs and is very happy to see that her muscles are very strong.

HotGinRun

36 posts

11/16/2012 12:16 PM

@tanlover 14: I don't know if I have enough energy to keep up with one of your energizer bunnies! Haha. I'm so wiped out after I get out of school so I made sure I picked a calm baby bunny out of the litter. I hope he stays this way. I'm kind of nervous about puberty.

@LoveChaCha: I took him into my local vet five days after I got him and I don't know if she checked his muscle tone. She did look him over (eyes, ears, teeth) and declared him perfect. How often are your routine exams?

tanlover14

3591 posts

11/16/2012 7:14 PM

Awww, puberty isn't too bad as long as you give them LOTS to keep them occupied. That's pretty much the trick to the whole process! Some things such as spraying can only be fixed via neutering but those other bad bunny habits of destruction and crazyness just need their energy diverted somewhere else. After one major whole in the carpet and one angry boyfriend I learned that lesson very quickly! LOL. You just have to be sure to see what they're focused on (chewing on wood, digging at carpet, ect.) and make a different form of this available to them where they KNOW they are allowed to do it! Puberty buns was insane for me with being a new bunny momma and having 3 all the same age with VERY different personalities. It was a disaster in our house for awhile! Hahahaah.

As for routine exams -- most vets say at least once a year but some prefer every 6 months especially if the bun is prone to health problems such as GI Stasis and the such.

tanlover14

3591 posts

11/16/2012 7:14 PM

Your little guy should be fine until his neutering -- in which case they'll almost always do a pre-checkup exam just to make sure he's healthy enough to go through the procedure.

HotGinRun

36 posts

11/17/2012 7:57 AM

The veterinarian (or tech) told me that they preferred to wait till the rabbit is at least two pounds. Unfortunately, Bean is a Netherland Dwarf so two pounds might take a while and I would rather that he get neutered quickly so the whole procedure is over with.

As for exercise, Bean seems to get plenty because he keeps waking me up early in the morning to do the Bunny 500. I've been trying to make him a variety of toys, but he seems to lose interest so quickly. I made him a dig box two days ago and he just started hopping in it today. I can hear him trying to "dig" at the wooden floor in the mornings so I hope this will help him express that instinct.

And here's a photo of him while my roommates and I are playing video games.

LoveChaChaRabbit Warren

6655 posts

11/17/2012 8:07 AM

The tech told you that? I don't trust techs giving advice unless it is from the vet him/herself. There is a member on here who had her 1.5 pound Dwarf spayed and she is quite fine. Boys can be neutered around 4 months of age.

I take Chacha in for yearly check ups

HotGinRun

36 posts

11/17/2012 8:57 AM

@LoveChaCha: The tech said they preferred the bunnies be at least two pounds, but they also recently spayed a Netherland dwarf female who was still a couple months shy of that goal upon discussion with the owner. I guess I'll have to talk to them again. Considering Bean doesn't hit four months until after finals, I think I'll just cross that bridge when we come to it.

Sarita(Dallas)

Forum Leader

18813 posts

11/17/2012 8:57 AM

Yeah, he may not get 2 pounds. My Netherland Bobby is 1.5 pounds and he was neutered. So talk to the vet, not the vet tech.

ElrohwenHudson Valley, NY

Forum Leader

7322 posts

11/17/2012 10:31 AM

What a cute face!

For toys, mine prefer cardboard boxes and large pieces of paper (like those used for packaging things) rather than pet store type toys. Anything they can shred or run through is a hit.

It's normal for vets to want the buns to be a larger size before neutering to handle anesthesia better, but it's true that buns under 2lbs can be neutered. I wouldn't worry about doing it right away though - I've known of far more girls than boys who get ornery during puberty. All buns can go a bit nuts when they're active adolescents, but that can happen whether or not they're fixed. My boy has always been lazy and his personality didn't change during puberty or after neutering (I waited until he was 5 months to have it done). My girl is almost 6 years old and is still hyper and getting into things, so that's just her personality. If your bun is generally calm and easy going, it's not going to change entirely due to hormones.

- Elrohwen

HotGinRun

36 posts

11/17/2012 8:14 PM

Thanks so much for your response Elrohwen! I read on here that some bunnies' personalities change after getting fixed so I was worried because I love my little boy the way he is now.

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